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Question about wave heights

need some help here in deciphering the surf report, fellas...
coming from the islands, we tend to have a different version when it comes to wave sizes. for instance, a 3-5 ft surf with the occasional 6 ft sets would be a double overhead. here on the east coast, when sites like swellinfo and magic seaweed calls for a 2-3 ft surf, is it really 2-3 ft, as in 24-36 inches before it breaks, or after, or something else?
be taking a trip to OBX next week, and just trying to get some idea on the place.
mahalo

On the east coast, when the report says 2-3ft it is usually around 2-3ft. Meaning 6ft would be about head high because the average head is about 6ft high. It is reporting the size of the breaking wave. I've never really understood how or why a double overhead wave would be reported as 6ft but maybe just because I grew up on the east coast and we rarely get big waves.

maybe they just want to make seem like bigger waves to scare away hoales or maybe they are super methed out and they think the wave are bigger.

it's actually the opposite, sandblaster. hawaiian scale makes the waves sounds like it's smaller that what it is, ergo 6ft=double overhead. i've heard a lot of explanations on why it's called that way. but the one i'm partial to is that the measurement is taken after it breaks...
thanks for the explanation on the east coast version, mad dog

it's actually the opposite, sandblaster. hawaiian scale makes the waves sounds like it's smaller that what it is, ergo 6ft=double overhead. i've heard a lot of explanations on why it's called that way. but the one i'm partial to is that the measurement is taken after it breaks...
thanks for the explanation on the east coast version, mad dog

your right idk wtf i was thinking ha i forgot it was the other way around

Wave heights are measured off the back in purest terms so it's about half the face or so. Here is a great article about it http://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/8...ght-in-surfing. The more common way of stating wave height now is by the face or surfable area so 6 ft would be head high to a 6 ft person.